Portland is cooler than ever: Here I'm waiting for the free piano seat on Alberta St. to open after enjoying the best gluten-free cinnamon roll from Back to Eden bakery and a fine coffee from Caffe Vita

I'm truly hooked on the open road, big skies, and opportunities to play songs for new people, which is why I set out on hours-long drives even when plans go awry, tech goes wonky and the temperature averages 95 degrees. Some snaps from the latest trip North and back

Big Sky on the way to Bend, Oregon. Bend is beautiful and boasts another good stage in Volcanic Theater Pub

The amazing Horse Tail Falls along the Columbia River. I didn't take a dip but wished I had later.

The dear Sue Quigley who shared the bill with us at the awesome listening room that is SoulFood Coffeehouse in Redmond, Washington

"A flexible spine equals a flexible mind" is an oft-repeated phrase in yoga circles. I believe it. And during weeks likes this, I'm especially glad I've a regular yoga practice. A run of dates in the Northwest have been on the calendar for months, but in the space of a couple of days, my musical accompaniment for part of the trip changed, a show that was the impetus for the tour was postponed, the tour was rerouted through Portland, I added a new date in a town in which I didn't think I'd be playing, and I'm leaving a day early. Here's to applying what practice teaches one to your day-to-day — breathe, focus ...and get out there and rock it! If you're in Oregon and Washington the next few days, come on out to a show.

The Playwright Public House

Growing up, July always seemed like the hottest month, but somehow the heat didn't disrupt the desire to set off a firecracker. Because we were inland a few miles, we'd often take our holiday fireworks to Manresa or Beer Can Beach to set off after dark. The fireworks sold at stands at that time packed a punch, and watching the official displays in Watsonville and Santa Cruz was nearly secondary to the rogue displays going off at home and along the coastal beaches. We'd buy what are likely now-illegal bottle rockets and other items promising high voltage glitter and thrill from a roadside stand outside of town. During the week leading up to the holiday, we'd preview our cache of snappers, sparklers, and those weird charcoal snakes that grow before your eyes with the strike of a match, on our brick patio. One never knew exactly what would happen once the firework was lit, which was the real fun. One year, my dad shot a defective firecracker off early that flew low into a small conifer and burst into flame, a fire that was fortunately easy to contain. Considering our impulsiveness, we were lucky to escape being burned badly or worse: there's good reason so many fireworks are illegal.

The thrill in lighting your own fuse is primal, and the beaches of Santa Cruz were crazy on the Fourth, as they are likely are now, crowded with similarly reckless pyromaniac types intent on figuring out how where to roll the keg in the sand, light the brightest bonfire and set off the loudest explosion. The folks who wanted bigger and brighter on their own terms bought their fireworks from vendors in Mexico or through other underground routes. There were always some impressive, if dangerous, unofficial displays.

Tonight, we'll venture out into the middle of the Bay on the boat to see what we can see. The forecast is calling for the East Bay to straddle the fog bank that's been coming in the past few days so the display could be muted. But who knows? Maybe we'll drum up a few sparklers of our own before nightfall. In the meantime, here's another preview track from the KCDC project, "Your Own Reaction." Happy Fourth!

In the wake of last weekend's run of fun shows — thanks to a crew of producers, we went from the Always...Patsy Cline pre-shows to ULUV to Sailstice to Barkissimo (above photo)— I've been getting ready to hit the road the second week of July for another run up to the Northwest, to Bend, OR and Seattle July 9-11 before circling back. Check the calendar for last-minute show additions. We'd love to see you along our route!

Barkissimo is a 'floating oasis' in Emeryville, aka a 80' yacht, 'St. Augustine trawler,' that has been transformed into a multi-use venue. This Sunday, 6/22, Barkssimo will be in form as a music venue, and I'll be part of an (early) evening of songwriters performing our originals. I'm honored to be in the company of this crew of artists--join us!

ULUV Music Day is a connected set of free, public music events which takes place each year in parklets, parks, Bart Stations and other public spaces on the 21st of June to celebrate music and the people who create it! San Francisco will be bursting with live music performance all day, on Saturday, June 21, starting at noon.

As part of the celebration, I'm delighted to play Trouble Coffee and Coconut Club, out in the Avenues (this is the place to get a coffee before hitting Ocean Beach IMHO). I'll be leading off the line-up at Trouble. While there's all sorts of greatness happening during ULUV, you can't go wrong parking it here for the afternoon if you're in SF (and not in Alameda later in the day for my 3pm Sailstice* set!)

ULUV Music is a charitable organization whose goal is to increase revenue streams for the Bay Area’s music industry by producing community driven music events that showcase local artists, businesses and charities. Through creating more opportunities for the local music community, ULUV Music will help sustain, grow and preserve the San Francisco Bay Area’s rich music culture.

Two Bay Area visionaries, Starita and Robin Applewood, founded ULUV Music and both have dedicated their careers to uplifting the Bay Area music community. They have united their visions to create this event-based movement so that musicians and industry professionals can thrive and sustain their careers in music. http://uluvmusic.com/

June is the month of adding shows on the fly! Thursday June 12 will find me playing another opening set at the Always...Patsy Cline show in Alameda, 7:3pm, followed by a turn at Bill Hansell's Guitar Pull at The Sleeping Lady in Fairfax, 9pm-11pm.

The Sleeping Lady is an all ages venue. Dinner is available every evening along with the shows (kitchen hours). There are beer and wine and coffee choices to compliment your listening experience. This show is free! Come take a listen http://www.sleepingladyfairfax.com/